I’m confused.
Define Yellow Ribbon - it was defined by @vwlizard but not sure that agrees with what you wrote here.
Are you saying SU will cover all your tuition but you need to cover room and board?
But then you say total cost is $91K but without tuition $27K - so if they are paying tuition, why would your total cost be $91K?
Or are you saying each year full pay is $91K, which is what their cost of attendance is.
So your family can, with inflation, afford $375K?
I’m very confused with what you are saying.
But if you want schools like Syracuse, which is a reach for you, Ithaca comes to mind as a similar but less “reachy” school although not a similar campus - if you want to be East Coast.
Given you want to be within an hour drive of nature, why not U of Oregon?
If you want environmental sustainability, you might look at SUNY ESF - which adjoins Syracuse, uses Syracuse’s clubs/facilities, dining halls, etc. - at a fraction of the cost. It’s an easier way into the SU experience.
If you want forensic psychology, U of North Dakota is on the WUE - so tuition is $13,856.
If you want forensics, it’s a limited school field.
You need to understand the budget. Just because your parents aren’t paying doesn’t mean you can get scholarships to cover. In fact, you may need to start at a local community college.
I hope you can better explain the budget please. College isn’t free and for most people, scholarships are near impossible to get unless given by the school itself.